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Weidenaar signs with Georgia State

The chance to remain a quarterback prompted Lakeside High’s Mark Weidenaar to sign a letter of intent Wednesday to suit up again as a Panther for Georgia State University come fall.

Weidenaar, a senior, initially committed to Coastal Carolina University, but the school showed more interest in using him as a wide receiver and just occasional snaps from behind center.

“Georgia State offered me a spot as a quarterback, so I decommitted and decided on Georgia State,” Weidenaar said.

Even more than getting his preferred position, Weidenaar said he might get to start as a freshman at the Atlanta university.

“Coach (Bill) Curry told me he has had quarterbacks that started one year, two years and three years,” Weidenaar said. “Then he said, ‘Why not four years?’”

The chance to play at all at a Division I school seemed unlikely a couple of years ago.

After tearing his ACL in an August 2010 scrimmage, Weidenaar had to ride the bench his junior year to recover.

In his senior year, though, Weidenaar proved himself capable with a stellar season.

Weidenaar earned the Region 2-AAAA Player of the Year honors last season after throwing for nearly 1,700 yards, rushing for 887 and racking up 27 total touchdowns.

“Mark came back from a severe injury that almost shattered his dream of playing Division 1 football,” Lakeside football coach Jarrett Troxler said to the about 100 people in the school’s auditorium to witness Weidenaar’s signing. “He worked real hard to come back ... (and) fulfill that dream.”